William g



w. sm'oun. .PISTON RING CONTRACTOR. APPLICATION FILED 1AN.29.191?.

1,303,612. Patented May 13, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. STROUID, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WlZLLIAM R. WA'IKINS, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

PISTON-RING CONTRACTOR.

ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an extremely simple and highly efficient piston rin contractor, by the use of which,

piston rlngs may be contracted, and the pistons applied in their cylinders, even where it is impossible to have access to the piston rings directly with the hands or by any ordinary tool. The application of pistons in the cylinders of many types of automobile and tractor engines particularly, is a difficult matter. Especially is this so in types where the pistons must, or should be inserted directly upward into the lower ends of up right cylinders and where the clearance between the piston and the crank shaft casing is not great.

My invention provides a very simple and very eflicient tool, by means of which the piston rings may be contracted at the very place where they must be inserted into the cylinder, by this tool, regardless of the type of en inc. To meet the requiren'ients for applylng the pistons into the cylinders of engines of different types, the tool is made adjustable. As preferably constructed, it involves a pair of pivoted levers or pliers having at their ends pivoted, jaws adapted to be turned into the plane of the bliers or at any angle thereto, and these jaws are provided with means for holding the ends or end and intermediate portion of a flexible contracting band, preferably in the form of a thin metal ribbon.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view showing portions of a cylinder and piston partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section and illustrating the action of the piston contractor or rontracting tool;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the piston contractor Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 13, 1919.

Application filed January 29, 1917. Serial No. 145,082.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the tool in the ad justment shown in Fig. 2, the lower portions of the pliers being not shown;

Fig. 4c is a detail partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, showing one of the pivoted plier jaws and ribbon clamp; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the tool showing the aws thereof, turned at a right angle to the plane of the tool.

In Fig. 1, the numeral 6 indicates an engine cylinder formed as part of a crank shaft casing 7, and the numeral 8 indicates a piston having the customary piston rings 9.

The numeral 10 indicates a pair of levers intermediately pivoted at 11 and constitnting a pair of pliers. To the short ends of these. levers 10, trunnion-like jaws 12 are pivoted at 13, so that they may be moved into the plane of the pliers or at any angle to the plane thereof. .The numeral ll indicates the metal contracting band or ribbon. One of the pivoted jaws 12 has a slit that adapts it to firmly hold one end of the ribbon 14c, and the other pivoted jaw is provided with a ribbon clamping clip 15, which, by means of a machine screw 16, is adapted to a'djustably clamp the opposite end or intermediate portion of the contracting ribbon 14 to the said pivoted jaw. This clip H is, as shown, normally under tension to release the ribbon from a spring 17set into the jaw.

Also, as shown, said jaw has a dowel 18 that engages a seat in the clip 15.

For use on any vertical piston, the band 14 should be so set that when applied, for example as shown in Fig. 1, and then contracted by the pliers, it will contract the piston ring to which it is applied and reduce the same to a diameter that is at least as small as that of the piston. so that it will thereby be adapted to readily enter the cylinder. Moreover, the said band is preferably adjusted so that when the piston ring is contracted, the pivoted jaws 12 will con verge slightly in an outward direction. as shown in Fig. 2, and thereby reduce the upper edge of the contracting ribbon. to a slightly less diameter than the lower or outer edge thereof. This gives a slight taper to the ring-engaging surfaceot' the contracting ribbon and makes it possible to slip the several rings of the piston successively through the same, as the piston moves endwise into the cylinder.

When the pivoted jaws 12 are moved into the plane of the pliers, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the tool is then adapted for use in inserting pistons by movement directly upward into the lower ends of upright cylinders, and this, too, even when the clearance between the piston and walls of the crank shaft casing is very small. The same adjnstment of the tool would also be proper for inserting pistons into the opposite ends of diametrically opposed horizontal engines. 'F or inserting pistons into the upper ends of upright cylinders, or even in the outer, or exposed ends of horizontal cylinders, the pivoted trunnions 12 will be turned at a right angle to the plane of the pliers, as shown in Fig. 5.

This tool is therefore substantially universal in its adjustments and capable of use in applying and contracting piston rings of pistons that are to be applied in various different Ways to cylinders of engines of various different designs.

Also, the same tool will be serviceable for contracting the piston rings of pistons that difi'er very materially in dimeter, since, as is obvious, the contracting ribbon'l is capable of a large range of circumferential adjustment. Moreover, the tool is of small cost, simple construction and durable.

This improved piston ring contractor is ui'iiversally adjustable for varying difl'erent uses and serviceable wherever pistons having rings are to be applied in cylinders.

What I claim is:

1. A piston ring contractor comprising a pair of pivotally connected levers having at their jaw ends, pivoted jaws movable from the plane of said jaws into positions at a right angle thereto, and conversely, and a flexible ribbon having its ends anchored to the said pivoted jaws.

2. A piston ring contractor comprising a pair of pivotally connected levers having at their jaw ends, pivoted jaws movable from the plane of said jaws into positions at a right angle thereto, and conversely, and a flexible ribbon having its ends anchored to the said pivoted jaws, the said pivoted jaws having outward convergence for the purpose specified.

3. A piston ring contractor comprising a pair of pivotally connected levers having at their jaw ends, pivoted jaws movable from the plane of said jaws into positions at a right angle thereto, and conversely, and a flexible ribbon anchored at one end to one of the said pivoted jaws, the other pivoted jaw having a clamp for adjustably holding the other end or intermediate portion of said ribbon.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLLAll/I G. STROUD.

Witnesses:

BERNICE G. WHEELER, Hanna D. KiLoonn. 

